Where winning is everything

So what is more important — performance, or survival? This is a question I have been asking all aspiring roadies since the auditions. They themselves have been insisting that performing well in tasks is more important to them than surviving in the game. But I guess the answer was clearly established last week. Survival wins, no matter what people say.

The Silvassa episode was my favourite in the Indian leg of the Roadies Hell Down Under journey. Though, I don’t think the roadies will agree with me. For them, Silvassa was a roller-coaster ride from hell and they could barely hang on. From the moment they arrived in the village for their first task, the hits just kept on coming. First, the gangs were dissolved. This was because we wanted to turn up the pressure as the roadies prepared to go to Australia. Not only would the tasks and the game become more hardcore there, now the roadies also would not have the support of a gang. Then they were given their task. First the boys, then the girls would enter an akhara, and the last boy and girl standing after the dust settled down would have immunity and be that much closer to winning all the money accumulated by the two gangs together — Rs 2 lakh.

We wanted the roadies to clearly know that they are alone now. And it is difficult to think of someone as a friend when he’s pounding you to pulp in a mud pit.

The archery task was designed to bring out clearly whether roadies could put their survival on the line for anything — respect or money. What wasn’t shown in the episode was that, before doing the task, both Samrat and Natasha got enough time to practise archery and to get used to the bow and arrows. They still didn’t hit the target even once. They had many more chances to give up their immunity, but they couldn’t be persuaded, even with money.

I love analysing the behaviour of the roadies and drawing parallels to real life. The roadies, like the rest of the youth, want success. If money was how they defined success on the show, they would definitely have opted for it. But clearly, being the ultimate roadie is what they see as real success. They’re prepared to do anything for it.

We are all very success-oriented. We need it by any means necessary. I don’t know if it’s a good thing or not, but that’s the way it seems to be.

This week (the new episodes are now shown on Sundays, 7 pm), the roadies finally reach Australia. And like I promised them, the game will definitely get more intense. Before they can even get over their jet-lag, the twists start raining down upon them again. Three ex-roadies come back to challenge one roadie each to take his place. And then there is the vote-out. All in all, four roadies will exit the show in the first Australia episode.

And yes, the roadies come to blows yet again. I don’t know who to blame anymore. Is it the intensity of the situations we have created, or is it just them? Whatever it is, this episode gives a rocking start to the Australia leg of the journey. Now, it truly is hell down under!